Reception School Appeal

[user1493377191]

Please can someone recommend me a good solicitor/lawyer that I can use for the appeal.

Thanks

There are some very knowledgable posters on here, if you post a rough outline they're very generous with their time and knowledge.

I understand the general advice is that there is rarely much to be gained by having legal representation as the system is designed to be navigated by parents. Obviously don't know the ins and outs of your situation, but would suggest taking advice from this board first.

I have applied for a reception place at a catholic school. I wasnt told that I can obtain mass attendance proof from ethnic chaplaincy. I would like to appeal based on this. If i had been given the correct information, my child wouldnt have missed out a place.

I dont think i would be able to present my case at the hearing if I get to the hearing stage.

Thanks.

So you are saying that you didn't attend the church in question but another type of religious establishment and this attendance would have counted, but you didn't know that?

It depends on the admissions criteria what luck you will have. The admissions criteria should legally be very clear on what is required and acceptable, and if it isn't (so for example they have accepted attendance records from other types of church but stipulate "catholic" in the criteria) then you will have a case.

Legal representation is rarely needed and can in some cases be detrimental - lawyers tend to treat appeals the same as a court of law, and it just isn't. (I speak as someone who sits on appeals panels!)

@patricaHolm I attend mass 3 times a month at a local parish, once a month i attend a mass run by a ethnic chaplaincy. The Supplementary form or the criteria didn't indicate that I can obtain proof from chaplaincy.

Thank you all for the responses.

But did you read through the admissions criteria on the school's website? It is quite common knowledge that church schools do prioritise any christian activity even other churches in the same faith. I don't think you could use that as your appeal unfortunately

@yokohamajojo Yes i did read through the admissions criteria. My Ethnic chaplaincy doesnt have a parish, so every week we have mass in different church. Is it really a common knowledge when the SIF or criteria doesnt mention this. How would some know about these thing.

I was only aware of this after reading the diocese guidelines criteria for schools.

@tiggytape Yes it was exactly as you described in your example.

@yoyo @ tiggytape

I didnt know that i can obtain proof from ethnic chaplaincy, this is not written anywhere so how would i come to know about this.

Criteria & form uses the word "parish", Is catholic ethnic chaplaincy a parish?

OP - if the criteria state that you have to demonstrate you have attended mass 4x a month to be considered in the category you want to be in, and you know that you were only there 3x a month, then you'd be expected to figure out youd need proof that you had been at mass the other week if you didn't want to be downgraded to a lower category?

If someone said that your other mass didn't count as a Catholic mass, or that your usual priest would complete the form taking your alternative attendance into account, then presumably you'd have a case?

Does the admissions criteria specify a locality for the parish, and does the locality of your ethnic chaplaincy attendance match that locality? Because presumably it would have to remain within the locality on the fourth week to count for the purposes of the criteria?

OP did the Priest sign a Priest's reference form? For admission to my DD's school the criteria was attendance at the church connected to the school and a form signed by the Priest. The Church also holds Polish Mass and the senior Polish Priest was also allowed to sign the form.

@clark Yes local parish priest signed the form for 3 times a month. I didnt know i could get a proof from the chaplaincy for the 4th week.

@lounge no locality specified on the criteria.

I think everything will hinge on what exactly lies behind the fact you didn't know.
Did you ask and were told no, the chaplaincy didn't count, but it would have done?
Did you assume it wouldn't count without asking and not submit it, but subsequently discover it would have done?
Does the admission criteria explicitly say "catholic", or something else?

If you want to PM the school name I can take a look if you like. As I say I sit on appeals panels.

I agree. If the criteria simply says 'supplementary form with proof of mass attendance in parish' or some such wording, then it is down to the parent to provide that evidence, and the fact that you didn't is just unfortunate. It isn't the LA's job to ensure that you apply correctly.

However, if there was something on the form or that was actually said to you that was misleading and gave the impression that only attendance at the Catholic mass counted, so your attendance at the ethnic mass did not, then that's different, because you have now found out that you would have qualified and that misleading information may have cost you a place at the school.

Do you have proof that you were given wrong advice that your ethnic service did not count.

Does the admissions criteria for the school state you have to attend mass 4 times a month?

Ok I take aboard your comments OP, we are in a CoE and even though I attended the local school church, I knew and thought most people did, that I could have gotten the form signed by my Swedish Church priest and that would also count but slightly lower than the local CoE church. I remember advising a Bulgarian parent that she could use her own church and that it would count towards christian church attendance